not a local » Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary: Most Popular

Christina — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:00:33 +0000

A friend and I were discussing how to celebrate the two year anniversary of my blog and the idea of a “best of” came up. While I’m pretty sure I still don’t understand what he was suggesting I do, I think he’s on to somthing. So for the final installment of my anniversary series, I decided to let you know what my most popular post have been. Mind you, this is merely judge by which posts recieve the most clicks.

So after my pages that you can access just underneath the header here at Not a Local, here are my top 5 posts:

You Won’t Need SCUBA Gear
Quick-Witted Family
Not Dave Barnes
I don’t normally do this
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

So there you have it. Most of these are top posts because of the comment-conversation that they ignited, so I’m curious to know if any of you have a favorite post from Not a Local. Maybe you have no clue who I am, but you really loved the BBQ video. Maybe you’re my mother and you enjoyed seeing my mouth full of Broccoli. Let me know.

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary: Tradition

Christina — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:00:16 +0000

I missed the first anniversary of my blog by two months, but celebrated anyway. When I finally got around to it, I celebrated by posting my first post ever, which was aptly titled, The Birth of a Blogger. For the sake of tradition (and that I’m still not embarrassed by it) I will re-post my first post ever. This is what started it all:

Jesus loves me this I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak but He is strong.

I’ve always thought of the “little ones” in that song as children. You know, because it’s a children’s song, you sing it while you’re growing up and children are by design, little.

But I’m the little one. We as Christians are the little ones. In Romans 7, Paul talks about how, in his flesh, he does the things he doesn’t want to do, “I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out” (verse 18). We are weak, but He is strong. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16). We are weak but he is strong.

It was communion Sunday today at church. Tonight, as I was holding a cup of grape juice, waiting to corporately drink as Christ commanded in remembrance of the blood he would shed on the cross, I saw that tiny cup in a different light. It might sound a bit weird, but I think this is the beauty of the act; I saw for a second, the actual blood that Christ released from His torn flesh on the cross. I visualized it. I saw it pouring from His badly beaten body.

Then I remembered who he did that for, and that it was that very blood washed me clean on that cloudy day so many years ago. That cup I was holding was and is my redemption. I am weak, but He is strong.

1 Peter 2:24, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.”

I want to learn to live at the Cross every day and be humbled and set free by what I see there.

Happy Anniversary.

Happy Anniversary: A Gift

Christina — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:00:07 +0000

Today marks the two-year anniversary of my blog and to commemorate, I’ve decided to mark this day with a series of posts (praise the Lord for delayed publishing).

The first is an anniversary gift of sorts. A gift in the sense that I’m giving you something and not expecting anything in return, and “of sorts” in the sense that I should be the one receiving gifts, not giving them. Not that I’m looking for gifts; it’s just a blog.

I digress. I’ve recently discovered a musician by the name of Phil Wickham and have absolutely fallen in love with his work. All of his music earns the title “worship music” and should probably be played in churches all over the world. His melodies are stunning and his lyrics are profound and Biblical. He recently recorded a live album that he’s now put on the interweb, available for free downloading. All you need is an email address and a zip code, and my new favorite cd can be yours as well.

Happy Anniversary.